Loose leaf binder



Aug. 8, 1939. J. R. NEwLAND LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed April 1o, 1937 2 sheets-sheet i J. R. NEWLAND LoosE LEAF BINDER Aug. 8. 1939.

. f l A 2 Sheets-Shea?l iqI 3 ghyiiaymozzdjl/u/Zazzdf Filed April l0, 1937 @imma/1,1

Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,168,802 LoosE LEAF BINDER Application April 10,1937, Serial No. 136,157

2 Claims.

This invention relates to loose leaf binders. The invention comprehends the provision of a binder having transfer bars carrying sheet en-v gaging posts, and binding posts extending through the transfer bars and engaged in binderY bars where they are detachably locked by keyactuated locking mechanism providing for the detachment of either binder bar from the binding posts in order to provide for the application and removal of sheets from either side of the binder.

The invention further comprehends the provision of a binder bar structure having a locking mechanism for the binding posts actuated by a key of simple construction which may be readily removed from the binder bar to prevent actuation of the locking mechanism by unauthorized persons.

The invention provides a pair of hinged binder bars secured to the back and cover structure of the binder, in such a way, that the means which assembles the covers to the back, also assembles the binder bars on the back, while the binder bars may be independently swung into and out of engagement with a sheetbody mounted on transfer bars and arranged to have a binding means engaged through the sheet body and detachably associated with the binder bars in a manner that will provide for the detachment of either binder bar for changing the sheets in the sheet body from either side of the binder.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a binder constructed according to this invention in perspective with the binding bars, the transfer bars, back and fragmentary portions of the covers in disassembled relation.

Fig. 2 is an endl elevation of the back portion of the binder, only fragments of the covers being shown, portions being broken away and shown in section to illustrate details of construction, the upper cover being moved to the open position, the upper binder bar being detached from the binding posts and moved away from the sheet body, and the position of the parts at the top of the binder providing for the interchanging of sheets.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the back portion of the binder with only fragments of the covers being shown adjacent to the back in order to illustrate the top binder bar in cross section through that part which houses the actuating spring for the locking bar, while the lower binder bar is shown in end elevation.

Fig. 4 shows the parts forming one of the binder bars, disassembled and in perspective.

(Cl. 12S-8) Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail longitudinal cross" section through one end portion of one of the binder bars with the parts shown in the locking position.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in releasing position.

Fig. 'l is a horizontal cross section of one end of the binder bar taken on line 'I-I of Fig. 5.

The binder back is indicated at I and may be any suitable form of. construction well known vk10 to the art and a size suitable to hold the desired number of sheets. Back I carries a sheet metal back plate 2 provided on opposite edges with projections formed to provide cylindrical hinge knuckles 3 arranged in spaced relation as clearly 15 shown in Fig. 1. Covers 4 for the binder may be of any desired construction well known in the art and have metal hinge plates 5 along the inner edges provided with projections on one edge in spaced relation equal to the spacing of projections y 2 3 on plate 2, with the ends formed into cylindrical portions providing hinge knuckles 6.

A pair of hinge plates 'I having projections formed into hinge knuckles B along one side are adapted to receive the same hinge pins that secure the covers to back plate 2. A hinge plate 'I is secured at each side of back plate 2 with one of the covers. The length of thehinge knuckles 8 on each hinge plate 'I, the length of hinge knuckles 6 and also hinge knuckles 3 at each side of the back plate have a spaced relation to engage in end to end relation when assembled, to provide a continuous hinge receiving a single hinge pin. One hinge pin is located at each side of back plate 2 in securing the pair of hinge plates 'I and the pair of covers to back plate 2.

Hinge plates 1 mount the binder bars for the sheet body, each composed of a casing formed of inner and outer members 9 and I, respectively. Each of the casings 9 and I9 is formed of sheet metal U-shape in cross section, the edges of strip 9 slidably engaging inside the edges of strip I0 to form a tubular housing for slidably receiving locking bar II. Locking bar II is provided with a plurality of slots I2 and I3 adapted to receive a plurality of spaced rivets I4 for securing housing sections 9 and I9 rigidly together. Some of the rivets I4 are located beyond the end of locking bar II and in this casev slots are unnecessary to provide for the slidable mounting of bar II.

Slots I3 are longer than slots I2 and of sufficient length to receive tension springs I5 that have one end secured to locking bar II by eyelets I6 and the opposite end secured to the rivets I4 eX- tending through the slot adjacent the oppositev end thereof. These tension springs serve to slidably move the bar in the housing into a position for normally locking binder posts to the binder bar while the locking bars having slidable movement in an opposite direction into unlocking position in a manner that will be described.

Each binder bar has the outer casing section I 0 provided with a pair of openings I'I in opposite end portions as shown in the drawings to receive the ends of binder posts I8. Binder posts I8 are provided with transversely extending holes I9 in opposite end portions. The end portions of binder posts I8 are rounded for insertion through openings I'I into the housing forming the binder bar. Locking bar II is formed with openings 20 to receive the ends of posts I8 and locking projections 2| formed with curved lower ends 22, see Figs. 5 and 6, project into openings 29 for engagement in transverse openings I9 of posts I8, when said posts are inserted into openings 2D. The curved lower ends 22 of projections 2| cooperate with the curved ends of posts I8 so that when a post I8 is inserted in opening II the curved surfaces will cooperate to cam locking bar II to the right as shown in Fig. 5 against the tension of springs I5 and allow the post to engage in the housing and in opening 25 of the locking bar until transverse hole I9 registers with projection 2I whereupon springs I5 will move locking bar II from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 5 and lock posts I8 to the binder bar.

The outer member I 0 of each binder bar is provided with apertures 23 adapted to receive positioning studs 2li on transfer bars 25. Sheet engaging posts 26 are mounted on transfer bars 25 in the manner illustrated in Fig. l, bars 25 being of duplicate construction and posts 2G being arranged for the use of two transfer bars, one at each side of the sheet body, one transfer bar being reversed in position to the other and thereby cooperating to form a pair of bars for engaging in the sheet body with each of. posts 25 engaging in different holes. In this manner posts 26 on one transfer bar are out of alignment with posts 2E of another transfer bar providing for the separation of the sheet body into two groups, each group being supported by one transfer bar. This method of handling a sheet body on transfer bars is will known in the art, although the structure of the transfer bars is somewhat dfferent from that heretofore used. Each transfer bar is formed with openings 2 in the end portions for receiving binder posts I8. It will be noted that in the assembly of the transfer bars in the sheet body as shown in Fig. 1, openings 21 in each transfer bar will be aligned to receive opposite -ends of posts I8.

After inserting posts 2G on the transfer bars into the sheet body from opposite sides as shown in dot and dash lines, Figs. 2 and 3, until bars 25 engage opposite sides of the sheet body and overlap in the body of sheets to hold them in assembled relation, the binding posts I8 are then inserted through the registering openings in the transfer bars and the sheet body with the ends formed with transverse openings I9 projecting at opposite sides of the sheet body and transfer bars 25. The sheet body may then be inserted in the binder for connection with the binder bars by rst engaging one end of each binding post I8 through openings I'I and forcing them into locked position in the manner above described, by camming locking bar I I in one binder bar out of locking position until holes I9 align with projections 2I when the locking bar will move into locking position as shown in Fig. 5 and lock binder posts I8 thereto. With the sheet body then positioned on binder posts I8 the other binder bar may be moved over on top of the sheet body and pressed down on the opposite ends of the binding posts into the locked position.

Locking bar I I terminates inwardly of the ends of members 9 and IU at both ends of the binder bar, one end of the housing formed by members 9 and I0 being closed by an end block 28 while the opposite end is left open. The end rivet I 4 in the opposite or open end of the tubular casing forming the binder bar is positioned beyond the end of locking bar II and the adjacent end of locking bar II has beveled portions 29. These beveled portions 29 are arranged at opposite sides of the bar in order to make it diflicult for unauthorized persons to operate the locking bar II by means of pins, paper clips or other instruments not designed to unlock the binder by operating bar II. The dimensions of the housing sections 9 and I0 and the size of rivet I4 in the open end of the binder bar are arranged to make it difficult to insert instruments in the end of the bar for operating locking bar I I that are not designed for this purpose.

An operating handle or key 30 is formed of a piece of sheet metal adapted to slidably t in the open ends of the binder bars between sections 9 and I 0. The end of handle 30 is bifurcated as indicated at 3l to form a pair of legs having outwardly inclined faces 32 on the ends formed to fit and engage faces 29 of locking bar II, the slot formed by the bifurcation 3l merging into the V-shaped opening in the end of handle 38 and being adapted to receive end rivet I 4. The bifurcation in member 30 is restricted at the inner ends of inclined portions 32 by projections 33 on the legs While the inner end of the bifurca tion 3| is enlarged to provide aperture 34. The opposite end of handle 30 is provided with a laterally extending grip 35 that may be manually gripped for manipulation of the handle. One handle 30 is provided for each binder bar.

The legs of the handle with inclined faces 32 are inserted into the open end of the binder bar and projections 33 will engage opposite sides of rivet I4 in such a manner that manual force will be required to push handle member 3B inwardly in order to spring the legs apart, so that a spring snap action over rivet I4 may be obtained. After this takes place inclined faces 32 will engage beveled ends 29 of locking member II and further invvard sliding movement of handle member 30 will move locking member II from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, thereby releasing posts I8 from the binder bar. Each binder bar is constructed in a similar manner.

The handle member may be allowed to remain in the binder bar if desired and for this purpose projections 33 will prevent it from becoming accidentally detached; since, in order to remove handle member 39 from the binder bar, it is necessary to forcibly pull it cut in order to snap projections 33 past rivet I4.

It will be seen that with the binder above described, a body of sheets may be applied to the transfer bars and held in assembled relation by the posts 2G thereon, while posts IS may be inserted through the openings provided therefor in the sheet body and transfer bars, and may have their ends automatically engaged and locked in either or both binder bars by inserting the end of each po-st I8 through one of the openings I1 and forcing it into the locking position. This automatic operation takes place by the curved end of binding post I8 engaging curved face 22 of projection 2l on locking bar ll and automatically operating locking bar Il to move projection 2| out of the way, whereupon it will snap into opening I9 as soon as binder post i8 is in its position as shown in Fig. 5 in the binder bar. It will also be apparent that either binder bar may be detached from binder posts i8 through the use of handle or key 3!) so that sheets may be removed from either side of the binder as may be found most desirable. Binder posts I8 may also be applied to one of the binder bars previous to applying the sheet body thereto and may remain attached toone of the binder bars when the entire sheet body and transfer bars 25 are removed from engagement with posts IS and the cover and back structure of the binder. Projections 24 aid in positioning the sheet body in the binder so that proper registry between the openings in the sheet body and the proper positioning of the sheet body in the binder may be readily obtained in binding the sheets between the binder bars.

It is to be understood that sheets may also be bound between the binder bars through the use of the posts i8 alone without transfer bars and their posts in case this is found to be desirable, without departing from the scope of the invention as herein disclosed. It will be further understood that where it is found desirable to use only one binder bar having a lock therein, that the invention contemplates this type of construction in which binder posts i8 may be permanently secured to the other binder bar.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a loose leaf binder, a binder bar construction comprising a pair of casing members of substantially U-shape in cross section assembled in opposed relation with side portions of one casing engaging inside of the side portions of the other casing, means securing said casing members together to form a tubular binder bar open at ene end and having the entrance tosaid open end restricted by said securing means, a locking bar slidable between and housed by said casing members, one casing member having post receiving openings, said locking bar having openings for receiving the ends of binder posts and formed to cooperate with portions of said binder posts for locking said posts to said binder bar, resilient means for normally moving said locking bar into locking position engaged with said locking bar and said securing means, and operating means formed for insertion in the open end of said binder bar and for cooperation with said securing means for engaging and moving said locking bar into non-locking position whereby only an operating means that cooperates with said securing means is adapted to operate said locking bar.

2. In a loose leaf binder, a binder bar construction comprising a pair of casing members formed for interfitting cooperation to provide a tubular binder bar, securing members extending transversely between said casing members for retaining said members in assembled relation, a locking bar slidable between and housed by said casing members, a portion of said securing members retaining said locking bar in said tubular binder bar, resilient means for normally sliding said locking bar into locking position, one of said casing members having openings for receiving the ends of leaf impaling posts, said locking bar having means formed therein for locking cooperation with said posts in said locking position, said tubular binder bar having one end open and one of said securing members extending transversely across the central portion of said open end in said binder bar, said locking bar having the end adjacent the open end of said binder bar beveled at opposite sides of said last-mentioned securing member, and an actuating member for moving said locking bar into inoperative position for releasing said posts formed with a bifurcated end slidable in the open end of said bar, said bifurcations having inclined ends complementary to the beveled portions of said looking bar, and opposed projections on the inner edges of said bifurcations for resiliently engaging said last-mentioned securing member tol detachably retain said actuating member in said binder bar.

JAY RAYMOND NEWLAND. 

